Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Burundi
Burundi has catalogued 18 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 124th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.2.
Burundi ranks 124th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 1 M4+ events a year alongside 1 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is a single event, so one quake sets every figure on this page.
- 18
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 1
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.2
- Strongest
- ~1
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Burundi is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 18 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 1 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.2.
- 1952
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 20 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.4 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Grenada sits immediately above at 19 events and Ukraine sits immediately below at 17.
ComCat magnitude tape
Event tape BURUNDI · Burundi M4+ · 124th/187
Burundi · 18 M4+ · max M6.2 · 1 M6+
- VS-PEER 18
- COMCAT 124th/187
- TAPE M6.2
- EPIC 1
- YOY near Grenada
- BAND 100% shallow
Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Burundi
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 1 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.1. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 1
- Average observed MMI
- 7.1
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 0 / 0
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Burundi sits in the catalog
Rank 124th of 187 tracked countries (33th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Grenada sits immediately above at 19 events and Ukraine sits immediately below at 17.
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
2 tracked countries share Burundi's exact count of 18 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Burundi ranks 2nd of 2 by strongest recorded magnitude (M5.2).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Serbia | 18 | M5.5 |
| Burundi (this page) | 18 | M5.2 |
0 of 18 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 1 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Burundi.
M6.0-6.9
1
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 1 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 20 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
1
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Burundi
The 1 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 27 km SE of Makamba, Burundi | 20.0 km | Jan 31, 1952 |
Significant earthquake record (1 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Burundi since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 27 km SE of Makamba, Burundi | 20.0 km | Jan 31, 1952 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Burundi-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Burundi-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.